Trouser hem height maintenance device

ABSTRACT

The device comprises a collar made from a strip of fabric designed to rest on the top of the user&#39;s foot, and connected to securing means arranged to hold and fix the trouser hem, the collar being connected to the securing means by an intermediate strip.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §§ 371 national phase conversion of PCT/EP2004/009991, filed 8 Sep. 2004, which claims priority of Swiss Application No. 01598/03, filed 18 Sep. 2003. The PCT International Application was published in the French language.

The object of the invention is a trouser hem height maintenance device.

Suspenders and garters are mainly known for holding parts of clothing in place. Both are defined as being rubber ribbons or straps designed to hold up stockings or socks. Suspenders or garters are consequently elastic bands designed to exert a certain amount of tension on the stockings or socks that they are supposed to hold up.

The object of the invention is a maintenance device that is not designed to exert a certain amount of tension on the part to be held up, but is used to hold the piece of clothing at a predetermined height.

The trouser hem height maintenance device according to the invention is characterised in that it comprises a collar surrounding the bottom of the leg of a user, the rear part of the collar having securing means arranged to hold and fix the trouser hem.

The collar may have adjusting means designed to adapt its length, and an intermediate part may be inserted between the rear of the collar and the securing means. The intermediate part may also comprise adjusting means designed to adapt its length.

In a preferred embodiment, the collar and/or the intermediate part are in the form of a strip of fabric.

The strip of fabric may have a certain degree of elasticity. However, the elasticity of the device is not a necessary characteristic, it being understood that the device is only designed to hold a trouser hem at a predetermined height without however exerting any tension on the said hem. According to one variant, the collar and/or the intermediate part may be in the form of a chain.

The securing means may comprise a “Velcro” type adhesive pad.

Alternatively, the securing means comprise a pin cooperating with a disc. According to one variant, the securing means comprise a magnet cooperating with a metal counterpart, the trouser hem being gripped between the two parts.

The securing means may also comprise a clip.

The drawing shows, as an example, an embodiment and a variant of a trouser hem height maintenance device according to the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the maintenance device,

FIG. 2 shows a variant of the device in FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 show variants of the securing means on the device in FIG. 2.

The device shown in the embodiment in FIG. 1 comprises a collar 1 made up of two lateral strips 2 and 3. The two strips 2 and 3 are connected to each other by a fastening component 4 and the lateral strip 3 has an adjusting component 5 allowing for the strip 3 to be extended or shortened. The collar 1 can thus be adapted to the desired size when it is placed at the bottom of the user's leg, so that it rests on the top of the user's foot. The rear part of the collar 1 supports an intermediate strip 6 that also has an adjusting component 7 allowing for the strip 6 to be extended to a greater or lesser degree.

The strip 6 has, at its free end, an adhesive pad 8 in the form of a “Velcro” strip element. The pad 8 is designed to come into contact with another adhesive element, not shown, also of a “Velcro” type, fixed to the hem of the user's trousers. The collar 1 is made from a strip of fabric, as is the intermediate part formed by the strip 6. The strips 2, 3 and 6 may be elastic strips, which is not however a necessary condition.

The trouser hem height maintenance device described in FIG. 1 is used as follows:

The fastener 4 is open and the collar 1 is thus placed around the bottom of the user's leg and the fastener 4 is then closed. The collar 1 is designed to rest on the top of the user's foot so that the rear part is located above the user's heel. The length of the collar 1 is adapted to the user's foot, by means of the adjusting component 5. When the collar 1 is in place, the adhesive pad 8 is brought into contact with the counterpart, not shown, fixed inside the bottom of the hem of the user's trousers, and the height of the hem is adjusted by means of the component 7 on the strip 6. It is thus ensured that the hem of the user's trousers will not drop bellow the chosen height.

The device described above is particularly beneficial as it allows for the hem of a pair of trousers to be held at the correct height, whatever the shoe worn. This is particularly beneficial for ladies, who can wear flat shoes or high-heeled shoes. In the event that the length of the trouser leg is chosen for high-heeled shoes, the user can then adjust the height of the trouser hem using the device described in FIG. 1. When the user decides to wear shoes without a heel, the device can be used to prevent the trouser hem catching under the shoe when the user is walking. The device described above can also be used to avoid having to take up the hem of a pair of trousers when it is one or two centimetres too long.

In the variant in FIG. 2, the collar 10 is made up of a chain 11 comprising an adjusting component 12 in the form of a small padlock. The adjusting component 12 thus allows for the appropriate length of the collar 10 to be chosen, so that the collar 10 rests on the top of the user's foot whilst remaining placed above the user's heel. The collar 10 is attached to an intermediate chain 13, the length of which can also be adjusted by means of the adjusting component 14. A disc 15 designed to hold a pin 16 that is fixed in the centre of the disc 15 is fixed at the free end of the intermediate chain 13. The trouser hem, not shown, can thus be held between the disc 15 and the pin 16, which thus passes through the hem.

The variant of the maintenance device in FIG. 2 is positioned and adjusted in the same way as the device in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing show variants of the securing means of the device in FIG. 2. The free end of the intermediate chain 13 supports on the one hand a metal disc 17 designed to cooperate with a magnet 18 designed to grip the trouser hem. The parts 17 and 18 are connected by a chain 19 (FIG. 3). Alternatively, the free end of the chain 13 comprises a clip 20 designed to grip the trouser hem (FIG. 4).

It is clear that the trouser hem height maintenance device described above and its variant are not designed to exert any tension on the trousers, but are in particular designed to adjust, the height of the trouser hem so that it does not drop below a desired, chosen height. 

1. Trouser hem height maintenance device, characterised in that it comprises a collar (1, 10) surrounding the bottom of a user's leg, the rear part of the collar (1, 10) having securing means (8; 15, 16; 17, 18; 19; 20) arranged to hold and fix the trouser hem.
 2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the collar (1; 10) has adjusting means (5; 12) designed to adapt its length.
 3. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that an intermediate part (6; 13) is inserted between the rear of the collar (1; 10) and the securing means (8; 15, 16; 17, 18; 20).
 4. Device according to claim 3, characterised in that the intermediate part comprises adjusting means (1 ¹, 14) designed to adapt its length. ¹ Translator's note: There appears to be a typing error in the original, as the collar itself is numbered
 1. 5. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the collar (1) and/or the intermediate part (6) are in the form of a strip of fabric.
 6. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that the strip of fabric is elastic.
 7. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the collar (10) and/or the intermediate part (13) is in the form of a chain.
 8. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing means (8) comprise a “Velcro” type adhesive pad.
 9. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing means (15, 16) comprise a pin cooperating with a disc.
 10. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing means (17, 18, 19) comprise a magnet cooperating with a metal counterpart.
 11. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing means (20) comprise a clip. 